


Mass Effect: Revelations

by MassEffectForever95



Category: Mass Effect Trilogy
Genre: F/M, High EMS Destroy Ending, Mass Effect Next, Unofficial OT Sequel, literally only one scene of smut because i wanted to try it don't worry it's not a porn fic
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-13
Updated: 2021-01-21
Packaged: 2021-03-17 15:35:30
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 7
Words: 11,189
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28727442
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MassEffectForever95/pseuds/MassEffectForever95
Summary: Following the destruction of the Reapers and a hard-won battle,  a battle-scarred Shepard must once again get the crew back together (and recruit some new faces!) for one last journey after Liara discovers a grave danger out in the frozen wastes of Noveria, several years later.Meanwhile, one Ark remains docked... and the power vacuum left in the wake of the Citadel Council's destruction and desolation of various homeworlds has given rise to a cold war between former allies that threatens to become hot, with pockets of skirmishes and long-standing rivalries bubbling to the forefront. Warlords, pirates, mercenaries abound. Non-council races make their play.Join Shepard and crew as they fight to preserve the galaxy everybody gave so much to save as a new threat emerges, in an odyssey spanning across the Milky Way.
Relationships: Male Shepard/Tali'Zorah nar Rayya
Comments: 4
Kudos: 11





	1. Promises

"You must choose." The Reaper program had said to him.

Shepard grimaced, holding a hand to his charred abdomen. He gritted his teeth. This was an illusion. He knew this. His gut told him this.

_Indoctrination._

"...You're done." He summoned the last of his willpower and pushed past the hologram- the hologram that was a sick manifestation of his guilt that day. The day Earth was first invaded. The day he had to abandon everyone back home in order to save them.

No way in hell would he let this _thing_ manipulate him. All the hells he'd been through- the horrors he'd seen on Elysium during the Blitz, Kaiden's sacrifice, the savaging of his crewmates by the collectors, the absolute destruction of his home by the reapers... Just to have everything end now?

_Fuck no._

_All of you... all of you did not die in vain._

Shepard stumbled the last few steps forward, then pushed his weight onto the lever. He chose to destroy the Reapers.

The Reaper Hivemind shook its head, but before Shepard could discern whether it was pity, bitterness, or both- it shattered into digitized pieces. The world faded to black.

...

His senses came back to him one at a time. He felt a sticky pool of liquid against his cheek. Anderson. _Oh Anderson, you poor bastard._ Next came the pain. Searing, dizzying pain. But he knew he couldn't just lay there. He pushed himself off the ground, and stood on shaky legs. He took in the scene before him. Anderson lay dead at his side. The Illusive Man too, lay dead- eyes wide open in the manic glee only a Reaper's Truth could bring. And there, right behind him, was the console controlling the Crucible. All that was left to do was to activate it.

The galaxy's salvation was in front of him. And so was his imminent death.

"Sorry Tali. Garrus," he muttered, smiling sadly. "Looks like I'll have to take a rain check on that drink, Vakarian. And Tali..." Tears began welling up in his eyes, he made no effort to hold it back as the memories of her started flooding in. "... I'm sure that house on Rannoch will look great."

"Keelah se'lai." He whispered, then pushed the button, and then leaned against the console for support.

There was a deep rumbling throughout the Citadel, as power was diverted to the Crucible. Explosions riddled the superstructure. The last thing Shepard saw before a shockwave blew him across the room was the most beautiful sunrise he'd ever seen in his life. An artificial sun beamed forth from the Crucible, pinging from relay to relay, its wave surging forth from its respective epicenters and deactivating any and all Synthetic life forms it washed over.

Reapers fell from the sky, inert.

A bright flash, then darkness.

Darkness. The void. He floated in emptiness, feeling nothing. For the first time in a long while, he was relieved of the guilt he felt the day he fled Earth- of surviving while millions of civilians died, of all the men that died under his command. The void was true comfort. He had done his duty. Rest. He wanted to rest.

The quiet was shattered by distant voices.

"Come back to me." A quavering, sad voice.

...

"I've got better, I've got you." Same voice, same girl.

...

"I already have a home. " She said.

...

"I love you."

...

"I'll see you at the bar when all this is over." Another voice. Male. Brothers-in-Arms.

...

"Shepard." A deep, guttural voice, befitting a Krogan chief.

...

A bright light peaked through the murky void as the voices grew louder and overlapped one another. He felt a sudden clarity. Promises must be kept. He remembered. He was Commander John Shepard, of the Normandy. His crew was expecting him. Needed him. And he needed them in return. He opened his eyes in the murky darkness, and clawed desperately towards the voices, towards the light. The pinprick beam of light grew wider and brighter as he urgently grasped his way towards it. The voices of his crew guided him and he struggled. He would reach them, he'd go through hell and back for them. For his true friends- the first real friends ever since he was a lonely spacer kid drifting from station to station- he'd do anything.

And he made it, arms from everyone pulled him up and out from the void. Bearing the burdens of death- this was his duty.

...

He twitched. He felt pain. Sharp pain, the kind that lets you know you're alive. He gasped, filling his sootened lungs with more dust. There was a weight on his chest, pinning him down. It was difficult to breathe, each breath was an effort that hurt his throat and lungs. He fingered the omnitool, trying to patch in to comms.

"N7.... Commander John Shepard.... Requesting-"

"Shepard? Shepard! Please respond!" 

"... Hey Joker." Shepard croaked out, before bursting into a coughing fit. A mixture of blood and dust sputtered from his mouth.

"Sh-Shepard? Oh thank God, Commander. Where the hell are you?"

"...No clue." _Cough_ "Need help. Being crushed alive here."

"Turn on your SOS signal, we'll try to find you. It's been days, Shep. Jesus... We'd feared the worst. Just hang on for a few more minutes."

His throat was parched. Being buried alive in a vegetative state for days tends to do that.

"...How's Tali and Garrus doing? The crew make it out?" Shepard struggled to get the words out.

"Yeah, yeah they're all okay. They're resting up in sickbay right now. Man she's gonna be over the moon when she hears about this. But uh, save your energy Shep. Talk more once you're safe."

Shepard grunted in response, and passed out soon after.

...


	2. N7s Never Retire

An amber light filtered in from the shutters and gently washed over Shepard's face. It was a pleasant, warm sensation. His eyes blinked open. He lay in a plush bed, king-sized. There was humming from outside the room, just down the hall. He smiled as he curled upwards and stretched. His abs rippled as he flexed every joint in his upper torso and back, the burn marks and scars elongating and contracting as he moved. A pleasant aroma of bacon and freshly fried eggs tantalized his nostrils. He went through his morning routine, shaved, and showered before throwing on a shirt and his favorite hoodie. He crept down into the kitchen, and the humming grew clearer as he approached.

He moved to hug her from behind, as she was frying some eggs.

"Eggs and bacon? My favorite." He said, giving her waist a squeeze and giving her ass a pat.

"Oh! Shepard! I'm still getting used to making human food... I hope you like it." She said shyly, as she scrambled the eggs some more with the spatula.

Shepard gripped her by the chin and turned her to look in his eyes. "Anything tastes good if it comes from you." He winked at her.

She blushed beneath her helmet. "Flatterer. Help me set up the table."

"Yes ma'am." Shep said, and started gathering some dishes, forks, knives. "What's the Quarian equivalent of eggs and bacon anyway?"

"We've got dextro-based meat and legumes. Nothing beats fa'yin drizzled in honey and fried qorach strips **."** Tali said, beaming.

Shepard rubbed his belly. "You're making me wish I was dextro too..."

Tali chuckled softly. "Ditto for me and Earth foods."

They sat down together at the table, dishes of their own respective compatible foods in front of them. There was a large window besides the dining table, and they gazed out at the milling, bustling streets of Keleos, the newly found city and Quarian capitol. A budding metropolis in the making, the fast growing Jewel of Rannoch. The perks of being one of the initial homesteaders is not having to pay rent even in downtown. Quarians in all manner of suits walked by, some of the more comfortable or avant garde ones walked without their suits on. The planet suited their physiology, after all- but for most, the suit had become a fixture of their culture, and many continued wearing their suits.

"This is delicious. Thank you, Tali." Shepard said as he swallowed down some bacon.

Tali smiled and reached out a hand. "Of course."

Shepard put his hand over hers. "I still can't believe it."

She nodded. "Me neither. When you were lost for those three days... And you were so hurt when we found you." Her voice quavered. "I couldn't stand the thought of losing you." She squeezed his hand tightly.

"I made a promise. I keep my promises." Shepard smiled at her and squeezed back.

The doctors told him later on that it was touch and go. But that he never quit. That his teeth were gritted, and that even in the short two week long coma he fell under, that he often twitched and furrowed his brow. Tali was beside him throughout. But he pulled through, and now here they were.

"I love you, Shepard." He never got tired of hearing that.

"Love you too." He replied, giving her hand another squeeze. "How's work been lately?" He said, changing the subject to a lighter topic.

"Oh same old, same old. The Admirals are all bickering about the budget, how much to spend on military, how much to tax... The usual politics." Tali sighed, put her fork down and massaged her temples.

"Not a fan, I take it?" Shepard said, chuckling.

"I'm a ship engineer, first and foremost, Shepard. You know that. Sitting behind a desk playing politician does not suit me at all... Why don't you decide for me? Divert funds towards more farming equipment? Or towards a larger shipyard to manufacture more warships?"

Shepard rubbed his chin. "Why not both? A strong navy would help deter pirates from raiding Rannoch, but if the people are dying from hunger, then there'd be nothing to protect."

Tali nodded. "Agreed. The people come first. But the war hawks in the Admiralty are frothing at the mouth to build up our navy, now that we have land and mines and resources to make it happen. Admiral Qwib Qwib and I, among others, are currently trying to get them to spare at least a portion of the budget on developing our farming and domestic infrastructure."

Shepard spoke between bites of his toast. "Sure. Everything is sustainable now, but the population is growing at a breakneck pace. Hell, look at Keleos, already a burgeoning city after only a few years."

"Exactly." She said, then sipped some juice through a straw. Then she continued, "How about you? Anything new from the Alliance?"

Shepard rubbed the back of his head. "They're still letting me have some time to recover. I'm on standby- perhaps retired... though officially, I'm to be the Human representative to the Quarians on Rannoch. Can't complain, as long as I'm here with you."

Tali giggled. "Likewise."

Shepard turned on the tv. "Let's see what's on the news."

_"... Shots fired earlier today, as Krogan frigates and Salarian corvettes 'mistook' one another as pirates. Thankfully, nobody was hurt. Tensions are continuing to rise in the wake of the Reaper War, with the dissolution of the Council and the destruction of the Citadel. No word from the Asari has emerged since they reclused themselves back to Thessia to continue efforts to rebuild. The Turians have likewise retreated to Palaven... Efforts to repair the mass relays are still underway, with the last of them to be finished this year... Worrying reports continue to come in regarding the Yahg warlord Graz..."_

"That's enough of that." Shepard said, shutting off the tv.

"Shame it's come to this. Maybe it's a good thing my people were never welcomed as a Citadel race."

Shepard snorted. "The council may have had their heads up their asses most of the time, but to break up like this, when the galaxy needs to come together and heal- it's just selfish."

Tali shook her head. "With the Reaper threat gone, there's no reason to band together and they have to focus on building themselves back up. I can see where they are coming from. My own people, nobody helped us reclaim our homeworld. Only you and your crew, and the Migrant Fleet was there. Hell, the Krogans barely held it together when they saw the STG back on Earth during our last push."

Shepard sighed. "You're right... but I wish things were different. Can't believe Garrus hasn't called or taken calls in a year. I'm worried about him."

"Me too..."

Just then, Shepard's omnitool beeped. 

Shepard pushed his plate away.

"Liara?"

"Hello Shepard. We need to talk."


	3. Federation Denied

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> About two years ago. . . just after the end of the Reaper War.

The former council race delegates congregated via group HOLO call, each taking up a chair around a virtual table ordained with red linen traced with gold livery. They had been talking at length for quite awhile now, going in circles regarding resource aid, mass relay repair contributions, and dealing with the rising pirate and warlord threat.

Finally, the Turian Primarch, dressed in military formal stood and slammed a fist onto the table.

"What we need is strong leadership, and a strong united military. We cannot let a threat the likes of the Reapers to threaten us ever again. Palaven was nearly completely glassed. It was a miracle there was any arable land left. All this while we diverted our fleets to Earth to help with the war effort. We gave all we had. We only ask for something in return. The Turians should be the primary council head to guide the future of our galaxy. We need unity, a firm hand, now more than ever."

The Salarian delegate scoffed. "Unite under you? Unite under a ragtag Navy that can barely keep its own pirates under control, much less any outside threats? I think not. I'd sooner ally with the Krogan." She sat back, smug.

"H-how dare you? Your people barely helped in the war effort! Sending us a few STG doesn't even begin to cut it. You have no right-"

"This is going nowhere." The Asari delegate spoke up. "We are all still in the process of rebuilding. I don't think anyone is in any position to be making political demands." She said, looking straight at the Primarch. "Either we return to how the council once was, with each member having equal authority, or we cut ties completely."

The Primarch's upper mandible quivered. "Then we have nothing more to discuss. We see no reason to throw our Navies away to the ungrateful." He glared at the Salarian, before disconnecting.

The Salarian yawned, then disconnected without a word.

"Shame. The Human Alliance remains open to cooperation, but Earth comes first right now." The human delegate said, before disconnecting as well.

The Asari heaved a sigh, then blinked out of virtual space.


	4. Uprooted

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Note to Gedoens and whoever else is reading: I made some changes so that Shepard doesn't magically have the Normandy as his personal ride which doesn't make any sense considering it is the Alliance's top starship lol. I could just imagine the Alliance being like, you want to give our greatest military asset to the Quarians? Are you bloody insane? So yeah, fixed!!! lol

"Shepard, we need to talk."

"Liara, it's good to see you. What's going on?" Shepard noted the lines creasing her face, and the bags beneath her eyes.

Tali had moved over to Shepard's side of the table, resting a hand on his shoulder.

"Oh. Good to see you too, Tali." Liara said, rather briskly.

"Likewise." Tali said, giving Shepard's shoulder a squeeze, as if to mark her territory.

"I'd rather discuss this with you in person. Do you think we could meet? It's important."

"Sure. You can stop by our place." Shepard said.

"No, I need you to come out to Noveria and meet me there. I need to show you something."

Shepard frowned. "I'm gonna need more than that. I can't just up and leave. Tali and I have a home here, on Rannoch."

Liara shook her head. "You need to trust me, Shepard. I've discovered something rather disturbing. It's a threat perhaps even more grave than the Reapers."

Shepard's expression darkened. Both of them had had their homeworlds desolated by the Reapers, so he knew she wouldn't say something like that lightly.

"Give me a few days to pack. I'll be in touch." He said, resolutely.

"Thank you, Shepard." Liara looked slightly relieved. Then disconnected the call.

Shepard sighed. Then placed a hand over Tali's hand on his shoulder.

"I have to go." Shepard said. "Liara needs my help."

"I'll come with you." Tali said, without hesitation.

"What about your position as Admiral? Who's going to fight for the people while you're gone?"

"Forget the Admiralty. I'll let someone else step in for me. I won't let you go alone, not again." She said, clinging to his hand. "Besides, you don't know a Mass Effect drive from a Quantum Entanglement core. You need an engineer to take care of things. I'll have a team get the _Idrisid_ a once over bright and early tomorrow morning. It's one of the Fleet's best corvettes, but I can pull some strings." Tali said decisively, and Shepard knew better than to argue further.

"Just like old times, then." Shepard said, smiling slightly. "I'll need a crew to man the ship as well."

"I'll see what I can do," Tali said. "Might be a few Quarian Marines I can pull to join us, officially to be my escort."

"Thanks, Tali."

With that, Shepard stood and began packing for the journey. He walked past the living room, where framed photographs of him and Tali posing together sat on shelves. The group photo his entire crew took together when they went on vacation in the Citadel was displayed as well, a light layer of dust coating the glass. He picked it up, blew on it, and smiled.

"Just like old times." He whispered to himself, then stuffed the group photo along with their wedding photos into his duffel bag.

He went into the garage. The ground had oil stains, and there was a work-bench in the corner with parts laid out neatly. He quickly assembled his old service pistol and gave it a quick check. All those years later, and it still worked like a charm. He holstered it and felt a satisfying click. On a rack right next to it was his N7 Armor and helmet. Dinged up and scratched, but repaired and patched up, for the most part. He smiled nostalgically and stuffed the armor and uniform into his luggage as well.

He walked back to the living room. Tali was still making some calls.

"... yes... No. I understand. No, I need to do this. Have Shayla take over. It will be fine. No, it's because I want to go, he didn't make me. UGH, just please get the crew ready for me. Thank you." She hung up.

"Bosh'tet." She said, exasperated.

"I'm guessing they're not too happy about you running off with me." Shepard said, leaning against the doorway. "You really don't have to, you know."

Tali looked up, then walked over and put a finger to his lips. "Enough of that, Shepard. Wherever you go, I go. Politics can wait. My homeworld... I would leave it for you. Home is where you are, Shepard." She said, and placed a hand on his chest.

Shepard smiled slightly. "Thank you, Tali. I don't know what I did to get so lucky."

She laughed, "Oh, I don't know, saving me on more than one occasion, saving my people and Rannoch, saving the entire fricking galaxy.... Yeah, maybe one of those."

Shepard chuckled, dropped the duffle bag, and pulled her in for an embrace. "Maybe." He said, grinning.

She embraced him back. "I love you..." They stood together like that for awhile.

...

The morning of the next day, they both drove out to the Rannoch Spaceport Terminal. It was a grand superstructure of wrought metal and glass, beautiful in its architecture and deep hues of navy blues, blacks, and tinges of royal purple. Quarians milled about, from businessmen to tourists, to janitors. Shepard was still surprised at the sheer number of suit patterns and suit types he saw there, despite having lived on Rannoch for the better part of two years. The floor was waxed clean, though the Spaceport Marketplace was crowded, busy, and disorganized like a flea market bazaar. Their culture still retained that aspect from when they lived in those cramped liveships, even now that they had all the space they needed. Shepard and Tali walked hand in hand through the various shop stands hawking their goods.

"Newest vidchips here, get your vidchips here, cheap!" One Quarian shouted, waving data-sticks in Shepard's face.

"No thanks." Shepard said, waving him off.

"Fresh juice! Get a refreshing juice here! Young man, you look thirsty, why not get a juice! Levo options available for all our non-Dextro friends." Another Quarian hawked her goods.

Shepard shook his head and kept going, but Tali pulled at his sleeve. "... I could use a juice."

It took them a bit, but finally they both made it through the marketplace jungle and into the Spaceport Main Lobby, where the ticketing stations were.

"Follow me, we're heading straight to the hangars after checking in at the booth." Tali said, happily sipping her green slushie through a squiggly straw.

Shepard regretted not getting one too, now. It looked kinda good.

The Quarian at the Ship Registration booth did a double take upon seeing Shepard. He had become quite famous amongst those in the know as the one who helped save Rannoch from the Geth. The one who helped them destroy their mortal enemy. This was amplified by the fact that the young Quarian had not seen a human in person before until now, since the Pilgrimage tradition was no longer required now that they had a whole planet of resources to work with.

She fumbled with her datapad, nearly dropping it as she handed it over to him to sign. "Sh-shepard! It's really Shepard! Yes, we have the _Idrisid_ docked in Hangar 3. Our crews have fueled her up and prepped the marines. They're ready for your command," she said, then twirled a bit of the end of her colorful hood and added, "Th-thank you for all you've done for us... Maybe we could get some coffee sometime...?" She faltered near the end, seeing Tali stare daggers at her. "U-um?"

Shepard laughed. "Sorry, but I'm taken." He said, then drew Tali in for a peck on the cheek.

The girl blushed. "O-oh! Of course you are... silly me!" She took the datapad back from Shepard after he had filled it out and put in his bio-sig and fingerprints. "Th-thank you..." She said, before handing him the de-docking keys.

Once they were out of earshot, "How come the Admiralty never talks to me like that?" Shepard said, smiling.

"I think you enjoyed that a little _too_ much." Tali said, huffing and pouting.

"Aw, don't be like that. You know I only have eyes for you." Shepard chuckled, and gave her hand a squeeze.

They made their way down a hallway and into a loading zone, where they boarded a shuttle which took them up several stories, to one of the hangars located near the top of the super-structure. Stars twinkled all around in the spacious docking zone. Hangar 3 had large windows, and ships were coming and going all around. They went through a few more checks, with Shepard flashing them the de-docking keys for verification.

Finally, they were at the ship. The _Idrisid_ was there in all its glory. It was one of the few and proud ships that were completely Quarian in origin, freshly retro-fitted at the newly constructed Rannoch Planetary Shipyard. It featured a sleek, compact design, and its outer hull was a slate gray with pattern swirls in a horizontal stripe along its length- similar to the patterns on Tali's hood.

Shepard nodded in appreciation. "Quite a ship."

Tali nodded, "Even before the retro-fits, she's saved our Fleet on more than one occasion. Weapons have been upgraded- plasma cannons mounted up front, and extra shielding to pad against energy weapons," she said proudly. "No Normandy stealth drive, but her speed allows for a quick escape in a pinch- unless they get the drop on us."

"I'll take what I can get, we'll see if the Alliance would be willing to let me commandeer the _Normandy_ once I get myself officially reinstated and out of retirement." Shepard said, giving the _Idrisid_ a pat on the hull.

The Quarian Marines were already on the ship, prepping it for take-off and running diagnostics and weapon calibrations.

Shepard introduced himself to the pilot.

"Sevos Vas Idrisid. A pleasure." He said curtly, and shook Shepard's hand. "This is my ship. I trust you will command her with care."

"Shepard. The pleasure is mine." _He's no Joker, that's for sure._ Shepard thought. "I'll treat her with care." He promised.

"He's one of our best pilots," Tali reassured.

The interior of the Quarian corvette was in many ways similar to the _Normandy's_ , though he needed Tali to show him around. Eventually, he got a feel for where everything was, and any differences in regards to command protocols and controls pertinent to him as a commander. Having done a thorough study, Shepard withdrew to the navigation room, where he mapped out a course to Noveria.

Tali briefed the flight crew while Shepard gave a call to Liara.

"We're on our way now. See you soon."

It's been a long time since Shepard felt the gut-wrenching vertigo of a Mass Relay warp jump. He strapped in with Tali at his side, and smiled. N7s never retire.

The _Idrisid_ ascended, jets firing up. Rannoch looked beautiful from space- an orange desert jewel.

Tali stared out the window throughout the process of liftoff, and even as the ship accelerated away.

"Don't worry, we'll be back. I promise." Shepard said.


	5. Press-ganged

"...consider yourself reinstated. And keep me posted, Shepard. The Alliance doesn't want to be caught flat-footed this time. Feel free to swing by Earth for crewmen. The old Normandy guys would love to get back on. Hackett out. We'll see about getting you back at the _Normandy's_ helm."

"Thank you, Admiral."

It would be a couple of hours until they reached the nearest Mass Relay, and Shepard had used the time to speak with the Alliance, and to get to know the Quarian marines on board his ship. The majority of them were happy to be serving the savior of Rannoch, and for the few bad eggs that balked at having a human order them around Tali was there to keep them in line.

Shepard visited Tali down in Engineering where she was sat maintaining the engines.

"Impressive as the _Idrisid_ is, its engine doesn't hold a candle to the Normandy's drive core." Tali mused, fiddling with the console.

Shepard chuckled. "Sure, but it has its own charm. I remember back on the _Normandy_ all the times I came down here to pester you. By the tenth time, it was getting hard to come up with plausible excuses." He walked up and grabbed a firm handful of ass as Tali was bent over scanning diagnostics, just like she used to, but this time, on a Quarian ship.

She giggled in surprise at the sudden aggression. "Naughty Shepard." Then turned around and put her hands on his shoulders. "The excuses did get pretty lame. Like seriously? 'I lost my Citadel keychain, it must've fallen around here somewhere?' Come on, Shepard."

Shepard gave her cheeks another hard squeeze as punishment. "You know you loved every single second of it." And he gave her that winning smile. That smile that sent her heart racing, and a warmth within her, just the same as the day she had met him. That smile that caused her mind to go haywire like a Geth with a magnet to its processor.

"I did- I mean you did too. It was amazing how I ever got any work done with you coming down here all the time. Engineer Adams was always teasing me for it. And the core always needed tweaking, and the diagnostic reports, and Donnelly, and then I would just think about you and miss you and..."

_Oh, why are you babbling like an idiot now-_

Shepard saved her by pulling her in close and hugging her tight. "Shh, it's okay. I'll always be here for you now. I'm yours. Forever."

_Keelah._

She melted in his arms. Sometimes, she wondered if this was all a ryncol induced fever dream. After all, Shepard, savior of the galaxy, ended up with her. He chose her over Miranda with her flowing hair and, let's be frank here, nice body, or Ashley with her supermodel lips. And then there was her, with a big ol' suit and mask blocking everything. And yet Shepard looked past all that, and now here they were. Though she did have a pretty nice ass too, she thought with a weird, competitive, smug satisfaction.

She went limp and sighed in content. "Me too." She said.

 _Man says all that, and all you respond with is 'Me too.'_ Tali screamed internally. Her face was burning and flushed, her face taking on a darker tinge of purple. She was glad the mask's faceplate had an opacity setter.

Suddenly, Sevos' voice came on the line. Rather stoic when they first met, his voice now was tinged with urgency.

"Commander Shepard, we have contacts. Please come to the control room. Repeat: Imminent contacts. Requesting all clear to engage."

"Contacts? The hell?" Shepard allowed himself only a brief moment of blindsided confusion before commander mode took over.

"Tali, get geared up and ready. I'm headed for the bridge, join you in the armory after."

"Okay Shepard. I love you." She hoped beyond hope it wouldn't be the last time she could say it to him.

"Love you too. Now move it!"

...

Shepard double-timed it to the bridge, where Sevos Vas Idrisid sat frantically tapping at screens and barking out orders to his co-pilots.

"Sit-rep." Shepard said, standing behind the pilot.

"One bogey moving at a breakneck pace straight for us. Had cloakers on, couldn't detect until it was within ramming range. Looks like it's moving to board."

"Well get us the hell away from it then!" Shepard growled.

"Trying to, sir."

"Has it fired?" Shepard asked.

"No shots fired, no responses to our hails, either. Wait, spoke too soon. Large energy signature, rapidly approaching. Looks like-"

His words were stopped short by an ear-piercing crackle. The lights went out.

"...EMP blast. Hit us dead center." Sevos finished.

"Aw hell." Shepard turned and shouted. "All marines to your battle stations, prepare for boarding!"

And he sprinted towards the armory, using the purple emergency path lights to navigate to where Tali waited dutifully with shotgun in hand and her drone Chikktika floating nearby. She had turned on her night-vision.

"Shepard, what's going on!?"

"EMP. They're moving to board." Shepard said hurriedly, as he thrust open his locker and threw his armor on, grabbing a Quarian pulse rifle and attaching the shield generator to his belt.

He moved like a machine, years of training had made every movement efficient. He was fully armed and ready within the span of three minutes.

"Tali, stay close to me. We'll rally the marines, hold them off at the airlocks. That's where they'll most likely try to breach, considering they haven't made any other holes by firing. Probably don't want to damage any goods we're carrying... material or otherwise."

_Pirates or slavers, either way, damn them to hell._

Tali nodded, and gripped her shotgun tightly.

The pair of them made their way back and joined the marines currently holding firing positions behind erected cover. The mounted turrets were useless, due to the EMP.

"And here I thought this'd be a boring babysitting op," quipped one of the marines.

A few tense moments later, and then-

WHUMP

A boarding tunnel had been thrust from the enemy ship, straight into the airlock and attaching to it. BEEP! BEEP! BEEP! Shepard held his gun up, ready.

The charge detonated, and the airlock door came busting open, followed swiftly by a flashbang, and a gang of Turians clad in ebony armor.

There was a flurry of shots, and the first few of the breachers succumbed, as the marines blind-fired through the flashbang, the concentrated fire overwhelming his shields. But they kept pushing.

Their position became overrun, flanked. It was a free-for-all melee.

And soon, Shepard found himself back to back with Tali, drenched in sweat. They were relentless.

And just as Shepard was about to get a faceful of molten plasma, the Turian that had him in his sights was shot. Straight to the head. From behind. From one of theirs.

"The hell?" Shepard said, panting.

"All these years, and that's how you greet me?" The Turian turncoat took off his black helmet, and dropped it to the floor. Scars, cocky smile, attitude. Garrus. No doubt about it.

"Garrus? What the hell are you- what's going on?" Shepard asked, wide-eyed.

Tali was similarly shocked, though too busy firing pot shots with her shotgun to comment.

"Press-ganged. It's a long story, Shepard. Tell it to you over a drink." Garrus said, as he pistol whipped another Turian from behind, undermining their flanking maneuver, and causing mass panic.

The Quarian marines seized the opportunity and pushed back, overrunning the now overextended Turians and picking them off as they fled, disorganized.

Shepard lined up a shot, and downed a few more, before continuing, "No, tell me now. What are you doing running around with pirates?"

"Saving your ass, that's what I'm doing. You're welcome, by the way." Garrus said, as he shot a few more of his former compatriots through the dome.

Shepard shook his head. Classic Garrus, but he trusted him enough to wait. At least until they weren't a trigger pull away from turning into radioactive paste.

The firefight lasted just a few more minutes, before the boarding party completely broke and fled, just in time for the _Idrisid_ 's systems to come back online.

Sevos shouted over to Shepard, "I've got a shot, permission to use the cannons?"

"Granted. Give 'em hell."

The pilot expertly positioned the _Idrisid_ , turning it on a dime, sealed the airlocks, and lined up the cannon within seconds, as the enemy ship was still scrambling to get its crew back aboard. A bright green beam of concentrated plasma spurt forth from the maw of the cannon and pierced the enemy ship, blowing a hole clean through. The explosions chained upon explosion and the ship quickly tore itself apart.

Garrus watched from the window, shaking his head.

Shepard came up and clapped him on the shoulder. "Now's a good time as any."

Garrus's mandibles contorted into a vague imitation of a smirk. "You know, that's two years of work down the drain."

"You've lost me."

"Hierarchy Military Special ops. I went undercover and got myself press-ganged into the Turian Supremacists League. We were _this_ close to finding out where their home base is. Now all we got is the location for this particular cell's leader." Garrus sighed. "Again, you're welcome."

"You mean to tell me you ran with these pirates, killed a bunch of people, all in the name of intelligence?" Shepard's vein began to pop on the side of his temple.

Garrus hated it when that happened. "No, Shepard. I shot around them. I never directly killed anyone. These guys... they're _evil_ Shepard. Sometimes you have to break a few eggs to make an omelette. Even if it means pretending you're a bloodthirsty space racist."

Shepard looked in his eyes. He was telling the truth. He knew Garrus. Garrus would never kill an innocent. He only killed those who deserved killing. "I don't like it. But if you had no choice..."

"Situation's gotten bad, Shepard. While you and Tali shacked up and played house, I was busy cleaning up the mess in Palaven. The Turian Supremacists League, TSL for short, has been funding pirate outfits to raid any and all non-Turian ships. Trade ships, military, civilian, it doesn't matter. And they're making moves to subvert the Hierarchy government. Hell, I'm beginning to think our current Primarch has already been compromised, the way he keeps pushing against re-forming the council. The destruction of Palaven has led to extremist growth, Shepard. Turians first and all that. They celebrate the First Contact War. They want to put the upstart humans back in their place. And kick the Asari down a notch too." Garrus's face set in a grim expression.

He paused, and stared at the space carcass floating charred just outside the window. "Might be time to get out while I still can, before I get mired in something truly heinous. It's only a matter of time before they completely seize the government and its military. Not proud to say it, but Turians can have a real superiority complex. I can definitely see it happening. I re-joined the Hierarchy Military to help rebuild Palaven. Not to conquer the galaxy, Shepard. Might be we can still turn the loyalists against the extremists, but I don't wanna stick around to find out. I'd rather do that from the outside, with you. Shepard and gang- saving the galaxy yet again."

Shepard cracked open a slight smile, despite the somber mood. "Glad you're still with us, Garrus. You're the same old Turian bastard. Was starting to get worried. That why you never answered my calls?"

Garrus chuckled. "Answering calls from a human Alliance officer as a member of the TSL is just asking to get airlocked. They monitor everything. I can't even eat Quarian food without them knowing and bitching about it. Turian food only, blah blah blah. Been craving fried Qorach something fierce lately, you know."

Shepard laughed. "Let's get you cleaned up, and I'll make sure you get all the Qorach you can eat. Welcome aboard, Garrus."

Garrus's mandibles extended into a smile. "It's good to be back."

...


	6. Wine and Dine

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Note: There is smut at the end of this chapter. Be warned

A few of the Quarian Marines gave dirty looks as Garrus walked by, together with the Commander and Tali. It was understandable. After all, Turians and Quarians had some bad blood between the two of them. There was that time the Council sicced the Turians to bomb the Quarians off a planet they were "squatting" on. How dare they colonize a dextro planet that they found first without the Council's express consent? And then there were the multitude of times where the Quarians would enter Turian space and leave space detritus behind. In the days of the Migrant Fleet, they were akin to a horde of space locusts, leaving behind a trail of messes. Not to mention the countless number of Quarians stranded during their Pilgrimages resorting to thievery to survive.

But more recently, a band of Turian raiders had just boarded the ship, and a few Quarian Marines lay dead on the ground, moved to the cargo bay as a temporary morgue. Many others were in sickbay ICU, subjected to torrents of anti-biotics after having their suits breached.

Garrus whispered to the side to Shepard. "... Not the friendliest bunch. Nice ship though. Never imagined I'd ever serve on a Quarian corvette."

"Then you're in for a treat. The _Indrisid_ is a fine example of Quarian engineering." Tali said, beaming.

Garrus nodded. "Oh I'm sure."

"She proved her mettle well enough in that raid. And we'll make the marines play nice." Shepard said reassuringly.

...

Garrus still wore his black armor, emblazoned with Turian Supremacist League insignias. He didn't exactly have time to pack any alternatives on-board, and there were no spare Turian uniforms for him to wear. They've sat around a table in the mess hall, a big plate of fried Qorach drizzled in Quarian spicy-sour sauce in front of Garrus. Shepard had an imported Alliance MRE - Mashed potatoes with country gravy and meatloaf.

Garrus dug in, and closed his eyes in bliss. "Now this is some good Qorach. The breading is crisped _just_ right. And this sauce? To die for."

Shepard's stomach grumbled. "All I've got is this MRE. Wish the cook knew how to cook human food."

Tali sighed. "I miss eating real food." She sucked nutrient paste up through a tube into her facemask. "Rannoch has spoiled me."

Shepard sighed in co-misery.

Garrus chuckled. "Why don't you fill me in on what you two are doing all the way out here? I'm sure the two of you aren't going on honeymoon two years after the fact, and armed to the teeth."

"Well that's just the thing. We're not sure what's going on yet. Liara called me about a week ago, telling me she's found something 'disturbing' out in Noveria. We're coming to check it out, and talk to her." Shepard said, then took a sip of his coffee.

"Sounds ominous."

"She said it's a threat even bigger than the Reapers."

Garrus gave a low whistle. "Well, that just makes my issue seem small time. Don't suppose we could make time to hunt down that TSL cell leader I mentioned earlier?"

"We'll see..." Shepard said.

"Is there a civil war going on in Palaven?" Tali asked, having finished with her nutrient paste.

"Eh... something like that. The TSL has been funding insurrectionists for awhile now, but it hasn't blown up to a full scale war. Not yet. Sporadic attacks here and there... Politicians being bought. Only a matter of time now, though. In fact, I'm glad the TSL outfit I was undercover in ran into you guys. Would not have ended well if they successfully take over the government and released the names and faces of all secret agents."

Garrus tapped a finger on the table, lost in thought.

"A galactic war may be in the cards." Garrus said gravely. "The Krogans and Salarians are already butting heads. The Asari are too busy defending their own interests to help play world police. Same with the humans, though I've heard the Batarians have already started attacking as revenge for their humiliation at the Skyllian Blitz and Torfan so they'll have their hands full soon enough."

At the mention of the Blitz, Shepard's expression darkened. He was hailed as a war hero due to his valiant single-handed repulsion of the Batarian attack, but he had seen a lot of good men die that day. He shook his head, "I can't believe it's come to this." Shepard said, looking down at the table. He paused, then "What about Wrex, I thought he pushed for peace?"

"The Krogans aren't one unified body, Shepard. Remember Wreav? That bastard and all the gloryhound warmongers that support him are all pushing for open conflict and conquest, now that the Genophage was been cured and they can replenish their numbers."

Shepard grunted in frustration. "It... it was still the right thing to do."

"Oh, without a doubt." Garrus agreed.

"Was it really...?" Tali wondered. She thought idly about a Krogan invasion of Rannoch. Then shuddered.

"The proverbial powder keg is about to blow, Shepard." Garrus said, his plate of Qorach long since forgotten.

"I saw the news, but I had no idea it was this bad." Shepard said, guilty that he had allowed himself to live happily with Tali in Rannoch while the galaxy was going to shit.

"Well, what do you think, Shepard? We going to play galactic hero and unite the galaxy again? I'm sure they would listen to the man that defeated the Reapers. At least the sane ones would."

"I'll see what I can do. We'll need to get the council back together. They're not perfect, and they've made some questionable decisions in the past, but at least they kept us all from tearing each other apart." Shepard said.

"As long as Rannoch stays safe." Tali said.

Garrus started picking at his food. "But enough of all the politics. How's domestic life been, Mr. and Mrs. Shepard? Happily ever after?"

"Very happy." Shepard said, smiling. "Our little homestead you saw during the housewarming party, it's now in the middle of downtown in the capital city. Quarians build fast."

"We've always had the best engineers." Tali said, beaming.

"What about you? What was it like the last two years, running with a pirate gang?"

"It wasn't all bad. Most of the time, we raided rival pirate groups, slavers. They beat me pretty bad during my initiation. But the times we attacked non-military ships... Actually I'd rather not talk about it." Garrus said, putting his fork down. He grit his teeth as he remembered all the times he stood by as the Turian pirates robbed civilian ships dry. The feeling of impotence that he couldn't lift a finger to help, in order to fulfill his mission. He took a small comfort in that he was able to discreetly help a few of them hide their sentimental valuables, but overall- it was dark times.

Shepard cleared his throat. "Well, we've got about a day left before we arrive to Noveria, might as well get some rest."

Garrus stretched and stood, patting his belly. "Sounds like a plan. I'll shack up at my usual cot down in the weapons bay... If the Quarian marines don't mind."

"Maybe scratch out those Turian Supremacist insignias first." Shepard said.

"Good looking out." Garrus said, as he started working it with his combat knife.

"As for you, Tali, I've got something I want to show you. Come up to the cabin." Shepard said suavely and winked.

Tali giggled, and became flushed. "Oh, I wonder what it is..."

Garrus dry heaved. "I'm right here you know."

...

Shepard led Tali by the hand to the Captain's Quarters, which was much more cramped than the luxury cabin he'd had on the _Normandy_ , but _Idrisid's_ cabin was well furnished, making do with its limited space. Shepard set some smooth jazz playing in the background, and set up a purple ambient mood lighting. He set her down at the couch, and got out two wine glasses, as well as a bottle of Perignet dual chirality. One of the few dextro-levo compatible wines out there.

He poured out the glasses of cherry red wine, and took a seat next to her.

"Do you remember the first time I called you up to the Captain's Quarters, back on the _Normandy_?" Shepard asked, sipping his wine, and placing a hand over her thigh.

Her heart skipped a beat at the touch. "Yes. I was thrilled, but also quite nerrrvous." She took a few more sips of the wine to steady herself.

Shepard chuckled. "Still totally worth it?"

Tali took off her face-plate, revealing flowing, wavy black hair and twinkling magenta eyes. She planted a kiss on Shepard's lips. "This answer your question?"

The alcohol worked its way through her system quick. Her light purple face was flushed.

Shepard smiled. Then slid his hand from her thigh to her crotch, rubbing it above the skin-tight suit.

She threw her head back, and let out a little moan. "O-oh... T-take it off first... My suit will get dirrrty..."

 _Fuck, that's hot._ Shepard thought.

He continued rubbing her there, despite her protests about the suit, until it began to slicken. It became warm and damp, the fabric darkening. For a suit that's supposed to be protective, it's not that thick.

 _Fuck, he's going to make me cum all over my suit._ She thought.

"U-ungh" Tali groaned in ecstasy. "T-take me, Shepard."

Shepard's animalistic instincts took over, and he stripped her of her suit, starting with the pants. And there she lay, naked and vulnerable, a light-violet skinned goddess on his bed. Shepard had never been more turned on in his life. But still, he still managed to think about her safety.

"Took your immunoboosters?" Shepard grunted.

"Y-yeah. It's okay, Shepard. My body is used to you." She said, panting.

"Okay." Came Shepard's gutteral response, before he stripped himself and went to town on her.

He started slow, kissing her. Their tongues intertwined and she moaned in equal parts pleasure and happiness, her one hand busy rubbing her clit and stroking her entrance and her other hand wrapped around Shepard's back. Shepard was on top of her, pinning her to the bed. He moved down from her mouth, and began kissing her neck, giving it a few light nibbles- which was rewarded by a few more moans and gasps of pleasure.

He worked his way down her stomach, and his tongue found its way to her sex. He licked around it, teasing her. She was already soaking wet, clear driblets of girlcum already glistening at the sides of her vagina. He kissed her thighs. She panted in frustration- eager and excited. He worked his way to the pubis mons, and played with her pubic hair.

Finally, and suddenly, he entered her with his tongue, making an obscene slurping sound.

She arched her back, almost instantly cumming. "Shepard!!" She moaned, and shook the bed. Her hands instinctively were atop Shepard's head now, pushing him down and forcing his tongue there. "Oh Shepard. Shepard!!!" She screamed. "Don't stop..."

Shepard obliged. Working his tongue in circles, tying figurative knots, and teasing her clit, before entering and exploring her. He felt hot streams of her cum streaking down his tongue, and oozing out from her, and he licked it all up, swallowing happily.

She'd gripped the bedsheets tightly, her body spasming. Her body arched violently. "SHEPARD!!! I'M.." She couldn't finish her sentence, and instead groaned with primal pleasure.

He finally spared her, and moved his face away, as she lay on the bed, a quivering, tremoring mess. Her face blank with ecstasy and the afterglow of intense pleasure. Her eyes re-focused after a few seconds, and trained themselves on Shepard's throbbing manhood.

Shepard tossed his boxers aside, and stood above her, pinning her arms to the bed.

"I'm going in..." Shepard grunted.

"O-okay." She said, both aroused and nervous.

He slowly worked his member in, teasing the opening with his tip first, though by this point she had already had plenty of natural lubrication. And then he entered, until both their pelvises connected.

"Ah!" Tali gushed in another wave of pleasure.

"Guh!" Shepard let out a grunt.

He slowly pulled out, then pushed all the way in again, feeling every inch of her on him. Her sex was like a Chinese finger trap, sucking onto him and refusing to let him go.

"Goddamn, you're tight!" He roared, before increasing the pace.

"Keelah!! Shepard! Shepard!! YES!" She screamed, as he began to piston pump her.

The bed creaked as she writhed beneath him, squirming in pleasure and Rannoch-shattering orgasm after orgasm.

Shepard shut her up with a deep kiss, still pinning her arms down and overpowering her, and continuing to pump like a machine.

She kissed back, getting wetter than ever, her arms pinned in place and her body squirming at the restraints.

Just as he was about to finish, he lightly grabbed at her neck, not choking her, but having his hands wrapped around it. She screamed in pleasured delight, and gripped his forearms, pulling them back a little. Her sex practically oozed at this point, and their pelvises made obscene, perverse squelching noises with each thrust.

"FUCK! TALI!!!" Shepard grunted as he emptied himself inside her, thrusting all the way in.

"SHEPARD!!!!" Tali screamed, her entire body wracked by the best orgasm of her life, and her sex clenching and wringing Shepard's manhood, trapping it there and squeezing it tight.

It last for several mindshattering seconds, and Shepard had forced another two or three pumps, before finally sliding out, and falling on top of her.

Both sighed in pleasured delight, and lay together in the afterglow of post-coital bliss.

He put an arm around her, and spooned her under the covers, and she sighed in content.

"I love you." She cooed.

"I love you more." Shepard said, feeling his eyes droop closed.

...

They drifted off to sleep in together's arms, a blissful, dreamless, sleep. Shepard had never slept this well in all his life. _I'm one lucky bastard,_ Shepard thought, before his consciousness succumbed.

 _I'm going to feel this in the morning_. Tali thought. _Still... totally worth it._ And she put a hand atop Shepard's forearm, wrapped around her. She felt utterly safe, and like the world was going to be okay.


	7. Rifts

Garrus tapped the Quarian on the shoulder. "I'll take it from here. Captain's orders."

The young tech bristled. "The hell you are."

Garrus stood to his full height, towering over the Quarian. "Son, I've been starship guns since the time you've still had your mommy do your suit-cleanings. I know what I'm doing. Step aside."

A couple of marines stepped in. "Do we have a problem here?"

Garrus shrugged, his mandibles stretching in bemusement. "You tell me."

"This _kezid_ filth is telling me to move aside and let him tamper with the guns." The tech said, puffing out his chest and trying to match the Turian's stature.

Garrus chuckled. "Sorry, the translator didn't catch that. Let me add it in the lexicon bank... Kezid. Noun. Slang for badass."

The marines looked at one another, then at the tech. "The Turian is a friend of the ship Captain's. You will step aside."

"But, but!" The tech protested, before being shoved and manhandled away from the station.

"Thanks." Garrus said.

The marines stared at him, then left without a word. A gang of Turians had just shot up the ship just moments prior, after all.

 _I think I prefer human_ _crewmembers._ Garrus thought. _At least they pretend to be friendly to your face._

He got to work, checking up on the diagnostic readouts, going through all the steps that had become muscle memory from all his time aboard the Normandy back when they were fighting Saren, then the Collectors, then the Reapers. Though it took him a bit to familiarize himself with the Quarian consoles. Just as he started entering his flow, he began hearing something he wished he didn't through the pipes and ventilation.

Namely, the cries of pleasure coming from a certain Quarian in the Captain's quarters.

"Spirits take me." Garrus muttered, before he put on some headphones and tuned it to his favorite Turian metal band.

* * *

Tali lay in the bed, her suit and Shepard's uniform strewn across the bed and cabin. Shepard was in the shower/cleanroom, the water hissing, and the glass clouded over by steam. He was humming an old Alliance jaunty.

She'd wished they could have laid there for awhile more, but didn't want to push it - the cabin wasn't sterile, and the immunoboosters didn't last forever. Also, they came with some nasty side effects- much akin to a hangover. And rashes. But Shepard didn't need to hear about that.

She lazily rolled off her bed and got her suit back together, then ran a quick suit-cleaning operation to get rid of _fluids_ that had 'contaminated' her body. Following that, a full course of antibiotics to finish the job. Just as her maintenance finished up, Shepard stepped out from the showers, with a towel wrapped around him.

"That was even better than our wedding night." He said, slipping into his trousers, then jacket.

Tali blushed. "You were like an animal."

Shepard grunted as he tied up his combat boots. "Must've been the wine."

There was a call blaring on his personal desk. A Quarian marine was on the other end.

"Captain, we make landfall ETA 10 minutes."

"Copy that, soldier. Brief the men, get ready for deployment."

* * *

Noveria was the same old frozen wasteland he remembered. The wind howled and buffeted the group as they made their way down the landing ramp, Shepard at the front flanked by Tali and Garrus with four elite Quarian marines taking the rear-guard.

Garrus sneezed, making a scraping sound as chitin scratched upon chitin. "Spirits, why couldn't Liara have us meet on a nice tropical planet," he said, shivering.

"You're welcome to sit back on the _Idrisid_. Do some guard duty." Shepard said, glancing over his shoulder.

"And be alone on that ship full of Quarian marines that hate my guts? Yeah, I'd rather freeze my plates off."

"My suit has a built in heating system." Tali chimed in.

"Rub it in, why don't you." Garrus said, rubbing his hands together and blowing on them.

"Alright, that's enough. We're here on business, not pleasure. Remember that." Shepard said, pulling up the map on his omnitool for the coordinates Liara had sent him earlier.

"And I thought Turians were supposed to be the ones with a stick up their ass." Garrus muttered.

...

The original three plus the marine escort eventually made their way to what appeared to be an excavation site, with a tunnel bored into the earth- with stairs leading downward. Liara sat waiting besides the stairs, standing and waving them over when she saw them.

"Shepard! You made it." She began, moving forward to hug him before she spotted the others and stopped. "I see you've gathered some of the old crew back together too. It's nice to see you again, Garrus."

"Good to see you." He replied, nodding.

She offered a polite smile, then turned back to Shepard.

Her smile faded into a serious expression. "Like I said in our call, I've discovered something truly disturbing. It's best we walk and talk. Please follow me." She turned, and started heading down the stairs.

"Lead the way."

They followed her down the entrance, which was lit with electronic torches perched on the sides of the tunnel. Liara explained as she went ever deeper.

"Recently, there have been reports of extreme biotic activity levels occurring in the Milky Way galaxy. I leveraged my Shadow Broker network and pinpointed the location of one of these events to this location here. Deep underground... well, you'll soon see for yourself. There have also been strange sightings around this area, I'll explain more on that later."

The tunnel finally opened up into a large cavern.

And right in the center of the cave was a huge gash in the air, shimmering dark purple and blue. It emitted a low frequency humming noise, and seemed to suck any light right into it.

"What exactly are we looking at here?" Shepard said, after a pause.

"Something we shouldn't get close too close to." Garrus said, feeling his trigger finger twitch.

Tali instinctively stood behind Shepard for protection, and there were a few gasps and utterances of confusion from the marines. "Keelah, what is that, a mini-black hole?" She said, cupping a hand to her helmet at the spot where her mouth would be.

"This is a biotic rift. And if what the research notes I've found are true, then these biotic rifts are, quite literally, tears in the very fabric of space and time." Liara said solemnly.

"Wait. How is that possible? No biotic, even you, Liara, is powerful enough to maintain a singularity for more than a few minutes, let alone leave a gigantic tear in space-time." Shepard said, trying to make sense of the situation.

"I found some research notes from an abandoned study done years ago, on the extranet. They were exploring this very concept. I won't bore you with the technical details, but- long story short, biotic phenomena is caused by manipulation of mass's physical properties. And the research found trends indicating that as time went on, manipulation of mass, and in general biotic phenomena and strength among those with eezo nodules in their bodies, became stronger."

"Why is that?" Shepard asked, interrupting.

"I was getting to that. They correlated it to a surplus of dark energy in the galaxy. As dark energy levels increased due to use of eezo releasing it into space to cause mass effects, the fabric of space-time weakened. Until finally, they hypothesized, the destabilization would reach a point where rifts such as the one you see before you would form. They hypothesized these rifts act as either portals to a parallel dimension, or are what we might know of as wormholes, allowing transit to another galaxy millions of light years away."

She paused. Then looked at Shepard. "The agent I sent to investigate this place- she was killed, Shepard. There were severe biotic burn marks all over her body characteristic of a powerful warp. And plasma wounds. Something, or someone, jumped through the rift. And they're not friendly."

Shepard rubbed his temples, "To summarize: interdimensional biotic rifts are forming throughout the galaxy, spontaneously. And something is invading us through these rifts."

"Yes." Liara answered.

Shepard let out a long sigh. "These rifts- can they grow big enough to where a starship can pass through?"

"Shepard, we've been loosing dark energy into the galaxy for quite some time now. The Reaper Cycle this time around failed to exterminate us, so there was no time to reset back to normal levels. I think it is quite possible, yes. This is why I called you, Shepard. There may be a looming galactic crisis coming in the near future, if not already beginning."

 _Fucking hell. First the reapers, now interdimensional invaders._ "Maybe we can make peace with them?" Shepard asked hopefully.

"Somehow, I doubt that." Garrus said, mandibles flexing. "They chose to move into the rift from their side, and killed the first person they saw. They're not looking to make friends here."

"There have also been reports coming in from the scientists and from the NDC of a 'supremely powerful biotic' running around and killing anyone they come across. Nobody's ever gotten a good look at them. Nobody alive, at least. Last I heard, the hostile biotic commandeered a small shuttle and flew off into space, avoiding NDC frigates by using a biotic barrier powerful enough to enclose the ship and ramming straight through while sustaining a barrage of fire.

Garrus let out a low whistle. "Sounds like some kind of biotic god we're dealing with here. Must be our interdimensional visitor."

 _A race of biotic gods, invading us through rifts. Liara was right, these guys are just as bad, if not worse, than the Reapers._ Shepard thought.

"How do we close these rifts?" Shepard asked, staring down the purplish blue void in front of him.

"I think we can use biotics to forcefully bring the edges of the tear together and mend it. I tried to do it myself, but fell short by about an inch. For starship-grade rifts, I fear it may be impossible to mend them."

"Let me give you a hand then. I'm nowhere near as good as you are, but it should be enough of a push." Shepard said, preparing his amp.

"Let's try it." Liara said, and turned towards the rift.

Both raised their hands and closed their eyes, willing the rift closed.

Shepard grunted with exertion, sweat dripping down the side of his face. Liara grit her teeth, shaking slightly from the effort and planting her feet down.

Garrus, Tali, and the marines could only watch as the rift slowly began to close.

After what seemed like an eternity to Shepard and Liara, the rift went from a ten by ten foot hole, down to a pin-prick, and finally, it closed with a BOOM sending out a massive shockwave that knocked everyone to the ground and threatened to collapse the entire cave/tunnel on them.

"Shit!" Shepard shouted as he flew ass backwards, then scrambled to get on top of Tali - instinctively trying to shield her from any falling rocks from potential cave-ins.

Tali lay on her back, blushing at the gesture, despite her shock. "Keelah. We need to get out of these tunnels."

"You don't have to tell me twice. Spirits, my first week back and already we're getting blown up." Garrus quipped, rubbing his head.

Liara got up and patted down her shirt. "Shepard, are you alright?" Then she saw Shepard on top of Tali. Her face stiffened. "...Let's get moving." She said, rather frigidly.

Garrus snickered. "Looks like she's still got it _bad_ Shepard." He snarked, once Liara was out of earshot.

Shepard moved off her and stood. "Let's wait till we get out from being potentially buried alive before taking shots, Garrus."

"Heh. Fair enough."

The four of them, along with the Quarian marine escort, scurried up the stairs and back onto the surface, coated with dust and slightly winded, but otherwise unharmed.

"Well now..." Garrus began, still catching his breath, "What now, Commander?"

The group looked to Shepard expectantly, marines included.

Shepard planted himself in front of the group, and began speaking.

"We need to warn everyone. We need to prepare for a potential invasion. We don't know how technologically advanced they are. We don't know if all of them are super-biotics like that first invader that slipped through. And that makes them extremely dangerous if and when they come in force. We don't know what they're capable of." Shepard set his jaw. Then spoke again, "We need to get the council races back together- by any means necessary. This is no time for petty squabbles and galactic infighting. We'll need a united Milky Way front to stand a chance, same as when we fought the Reapers."

He took a breath. Then looked at each person on his team in the eyes.

"I won't lie to you. It won't be easy. If what you've told me is true, Garrus, then the entire galaxy is on the brink of war with one another. We may have to use force to bring the council back together. Get involved in their wars."

"Palaven is very unstable right now, and the current Primarch is looking more and more like a warmonger strongman by the day." Garrus said. "I'd be surprised if he doesn't declare on the Salarians in the coming months. Heard the Salarian Dalatross snubbed him pretty hard at the summit they had awhile ago."

"...We'll do what we can and take care of things as they come." Shepard said.

"I'll try to get the Quarians on board." Tali offered.

"Thank you, Tali. But we'll pay a visit to Earth first. I want to get command of the _Normandy_ and get some more crew on board after I get the Alliance up to speed regarding the situation and ready for a fight." Shepard knew the Alliance had already been fighting an open war with the Hegemony (the Batarians attacked as soon as the Citadel Council treaties were no longer in play according to Hackett, and later, Garrus). So their forces are already mustered.

"Liara, I want you to come aboard the _Idrisid_ with me and keep me posted on any new rifts that might appear or activity involving our superbiotic friend. You okay with that?" He asked, looking at her.

"I called you here, didn't I? I would love nothing more than to join you again. I have missed this." She said, smiling at him.

Tali bristled, and not-so-subtlely inched towards Shepard, hooking her arm around his. She turned and looked straight at her. "We've missed you too, Liara." She said flatly.

Liara responded by smiling in a thin line, practically dripping with passive aggression.

"... Women." Garrus said, chuckling and shaking his head as he began the walk back towards the ship, with Tali practically dragging Shepard by the arm, and Liara following behind along with the group of marines.

***


End file.
